Edible fat continuous spreads like e.g. margarine and low fat spreads are well known food products that comprise a continuous fat phase and a dispersed aqueous phase. The fat phase comprises liquid oil and structuring fat (also known as hard stock). The liquid oil is liquid at room temperature. The structuring fat is solid at room temperature and serves to structure the fat phase and helps to stabilize the emulsion.
The liquid oil fraction typically comprises liquid unmodified vegetable oil such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, low erucic rapeseed oil (Canola), corn oil and blends of vegetable oils.
For an edible fat continuous spread, ideally the structuring fat has such properties that it melts or dissolves at mouth temperature. Otherwise the product may have a heavy and/or waxy mouthfeel. Furthermore, the overall organoleptic impression should be smooth and preferable no perceivable grains should be present upon ingestion as this may result in what is generally known as a ‘sandy mouthfeel’.
Other important aspects of an edible fat continuous spread are for example hardness, spreadability, storage stability and ability to withstand temperature cycling. Temperature cycling means that the product is subjected to low and high temperatures (e.g. when the consumer takes the product out of the refrigerator and leaves it for some time at the table prior to use). This may have a negative influence on the structure of the spread (like for example destabilization of the emulsion, oil-exudation or crystal growth).
Plant sterols are well known cholesterol lowering agents. The benefit of these ingredients to reduce the risk to cardiovascular diseases has been established for years. Where these active ingredients were initially available in the form of capsules and other pharmaceutical preparations only, over the years they have also become available in food products. The incorporation of these active ingredients in food products that are consumed daily enables the easy and reliable intake of these ingredients for many people.
Plant sterols can be classified in three groups, 4-desmethylsterols, 4-monomethylsterols and 4,4′-dimethylsterols. In oils they mainly exist as free sterols and sterol esters of fatty acids although sterol glucosides and acylated sterol glucosides are also present. There are three major phytosterols namely beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol and campesterol. Schematic drawings of the components meant are as given in “Influence of Processing on Sterols of Edible Vegetable Oils”, S. P. Kochhar; Prog. Lipid Res. 22: pp. 161-188.
The respective 5 alpha-saturated derivatives such as sitostanol, campestanol and ergostanol and their derivatives are also encompassed in the term plant sterol.
Plant sterols as such are difficult to formulate into food products due to their poor solubility in oil and immiscibility in water which may result in food products having poor organoleptic properties, e.g. a sandy mouth feel. This made the choice of food products suitable for incorporation of plant sterols very limited. To overcome this drawback plant sterols have been modified to improve their solubility in the fat phase of food products. The most common modification of plant sterols is to their corresponding fatty acid esters. Commercial products such as Becel Pro-activ™, and Benecol™ comprise sterol fatty acid esters.
The esterification of plant sterol with fatty acids requires inter alia additional processing steps and results in additional costs.
WO 03/043433 A1 describes prepared foods, such a fried snack foods, fortified with non-esterified phytosterols delivered in fats or oils that are essentially free of emulsifiers, and the utility of such phytosterols for stabilizing heated fats and oils against oxidation. The phytosterols have been recrystallized in vegetable oil by cooling by ambient air and results in macro-crystalline structures spanning tens or hundreds of microns. It is stated that the material when tasted has a surprisingly soft and agreeable mouth feel.
WO 2007/030570 relates to food compositions comprising a fat based composition comprising 25 to 75 wt % of triglycerides and 25 to 75 wt % of triglyceride recrystallized phytosterols. The food product may be a spread. The phytosterols have been recrystallized in vegetable oil by cooling by ambient air and results in macro-crystalline structures spanning tens or hundreds of microns.
WO 98/13023 discloses a product containing plant sterol, sweetening agent and water, without admixtures. Example 8 discloses the preparation of a water continuous spread.
WO 2008/125380 describes fat continuous spreads comprising plant sterol in the form of elongated crystals produced by re-crystallisation from oil. However, the presence of such relatively large crystals is believed to be less suitable because it creates a grainy or sandy mouthfeel, especially upon storage. Furthermore, a slow crystallisation process is required reducing the efficiency of the production process.
From a nutritional point of view it is desirable to keep the SAFA level as low as possible as (high levels of consumption of) SAFA increases the risk of Coronary Heart Disease. Furthermore, as fat tends to have a greater energy density (energy per gram) than carbohydrates and proteins it may also be desirable to keep the overall fat level of a food product as low as possible. It is not always possible to lower the amount of SAFA and/or overall fat level in an edible fat continuous spread as this may influence the ease of processing, the organoleptic properties and/or the ease of incorporation of health actives like e.g. plant sterol.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an edible fat continuous spread suitable for lowering cholesterol. It is also an object of the invention to provide an edible fat continuous spread suitable for lowering cholesterol that is simple to make and/or requires less process steps. It is a further object of the invention to provide an edible fat continuous spread suitable for lowering cholesterol with an improved and/or storage stable structure and/or organoleptic properties.